Fondant is all over the place when it comes to cake decorating and candy making. I was always quite intimidated by it, because first you don’t easily find it but have to order in specialty stores and it can be tricky to work with. Low and behold the very first time I worked with (online ordered) fondant was an epic fail. The dough was so brittle and tore as soon as I put it on top of my (then) 3 year old’s birthday cake – then there was fondant flying everywhere. Before I ordered online I researched making my own fondant, but it seemed very complicated (use of glycerin?!) or cheating (melting marshmallows). So I moved on and forgot all bout it until I stumbled onto a candy making book from 1913. In this book it was easily explained and the recipe called for just 3 simple ingredients, all of which were in my possession, hurray!
Wow, I just now realized this book is exactly 100 years old, I will give you the 2013 version though, so you don’t have to worry about instructions like “remove from the fire at once” π I made a small batch that would be perfect for candy making, or cupcake and cookie decorating. I am not sure how it would behave rolling thin and using it on a larger cake.
Ingredients
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- pinch of cream of tartar
Method
1. Combine sugar and water in a sauce pan and over low heat warm up, stirring to make the sugar dissolve completely (no more crystals!), once the sugar is dissolved stop stirring. Attach a candy thermometer to the side.
2+3. Wipe away crystals from the side of the pot with a wet cloth. Crank up the heat to medium low.
4. When the syrup starts boiling slightly, add the cream of tartar and give the mix a good stir.
5. Continue to boil without stirring until your candy thermometer has reached 240F/115C – the soft ball stage.
6. Remove from heat immediately and allow to cool for 4 minutes until all the bubbles have settled.
7. Wet a large glass pan with water, by rising it without drying it.
8. Pour the syrup into the pan and allow the syrup to cool down to a point when you can comfortably stick your finger in the middle of the pan (ca. 15 minutes).
9. Using a dough scraper or wooden spatula start stirring the mass writing number 8s over and over.
10. You can see the mixture turning opaque, keep stirring. This is called “creaming the fondant”.
11. Then it will start turning more white and become harder.
12. When it is so hard you can stir no longer, knead the fondant on your counter top (using powdered sugar or starch to keep from sticking).
13. Cut into portions depending on how many colors and flavors you want.
14. I used liquid yellow food color and lemon aroma oil (the kind meant for flavoring food). Gel color worked just as well (teal).
15. Keep kneading in the color and flavor in your hands until you have an even and cohesive fondant ball.
16. Place fondant ball onto a plate and cover with a damp towel, let sit for at least an hour, this is called “curing the fondant”. It allows the flavors to fully soak in.
17. Knead once more after the fondant is done curing. Use at once or store in a zip lock bag placed into an air tight container.
I was really happy with the results! It is key to keep the moisture added in terms of flavor and color to a minimum. Next I will try some chocolate flavored fondant.
What are you going to make with your own fondant?
Hugs
Dani!
OMG you are my hero. I have given up on fondant because like you, the store bought ones nor the marshmallow ones seemed appealing. Thank you so much!
Glad I could help, it works great for small projects and candy making π
I found this recipe and loved it! Thought it looked simple so I tried and I was wrong. I had a problem with creaming the fondant. Every time I did it, the fondant would turn into these little white rocks. What am I doing wrong? I followed the directions! I’m getting very flustered! Anything will help! Thank you!
Allison, I think you are doing it it right, after it turns white it becomes harder and harder, try to lump all those “rocks” together and kneading them in your hand, then cover with a damp towel and let it sit for at least 1 hour π Hope this helps!
Thank you you saved me so much money now I can do so much more you are the best
Hi – I really want this recipe to work but I’m not able to get the fondant to get so hard that I can’t stir it. I’ve been stirring it now for over 3 hours. It’s opaque and definitely thicker but it’s not solid at all. I’m going to throw in the towel and try a different method. What did I do wrong?
I tried this and although I got the fondant to turn white during the creaming process it never solidified. I stirred for over three hours then let it sit another 9. It got harder and thicker but never solid. What did I do wrong?
Hi Jax, so sorry it didn’t work for you. There are a number of things that might have gone wrong, did you use a candy thermometer to detect the soft ball stage 240F? Also, it doesn’t become rock hard, just sort of play dough like. Don’t give up just yet π
I did use a candy thermometer. I ended up letting it sit for 12 hours and added powdered sugar and it really just never worked. It eventually turned solid but nothing that was rollable. This was like liquid, so I know I did something wrong.
Sorry Jax, I am planning on adding a video tutorial too π
Hey, am I need to use the cream of tartar or can I use another ingredient instead of it?
Hi Duygu, I have only made this with the cream of tartar, try leaving it out in a smaller batch and see what happens! π
You could try a little vinegar or lemon juice. Cream of tarter is an acid. For every 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tarter, substitute 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice.
I made this fondant pretty well other than it being very tough. Am I using too much cream of tartar?
What kind of sugar i use? Can i use plain white sugar?
Yes, that is what I used π
What are the quantity of each ingredient ?
I’m going to make this fondant but I need to know what type of sugur I use can I use granulated? Thanks in advance
Yes, granulated white sugar is what I used π
Hi, I really want to try this recipe but I live in china so I can’t find the cream of tartare. Are there any substitutes? Thanks
Hi Pippa, maay be you can get this chemical from the pharmacy, that is what cream of tartar is chemically “potassium hydrogen tartrate”.
Wow, thanks for this recipe! I gotta get me a candy thermometer and try this out.
can we use normal thermometer?plz tell me
Not really because they usually don’t go that high up in temp (400F)…
will try it
I loved how simple this was recipe was (ingredient wise) but I have tried to make it twice now and cannot get it to firm up enough! It becomes white and stiffer, but it still maintains a very sticky surface and it doesn’t hold shape, it just kind of spreads out :/ any idea what I’m doing wrong?
I just wanted to say this is a cool way to make fondant. But also melting marshmallows isn’t cheating! I use marshmallow fondant all the time and it’s hard work to make. Respectfully me!
Hola
aclarame, azucar refinada o azucar glass o pulverizada
Hi Dan,
Thank you for your fondant recipe. I tried and made it perfectly. Thanks once again.
Renu
Wonderful I am glad it worked out π
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe Dani, you have honestly taken my fear away.
That is great news π
I try it but still getting the rock in it. Do I knead it more. And the more I put powder sugar its getting sweeter. What am I to do . should I put it in the refrigerator instead of cover wit a wet cloth.
Great Idea and great results! π
Thank you soo much for this p e r f e c t fondant recipe!:) I made a forest: bunnies, raccoons, mushrooms, deer, grass And flowers. I am soooo appreciative!!! Sugar, cream of tartar…wow!! The consistency was perfect, no problems here. Thank you again.
Glad it worked so well for you π
When it says store. Does it go into the frig.
Hi , I ve not candy thermometer .is it available with the required attachment ?
You can search for it only. They usually come with an attachment to clip to your pot!
what sugar do u need?
i have used this method for over 50 years and have great success with it. I make a recipe, flavor it, and let it mellow for a week. Meanwhile, I make several more recipes with other flavors and do the same thing. When I have several, I make the best homemade chocolates with it by adding, fruits, nuts, etc. My family can’t wait for Christmas to get here very year. The other methods are too messy or produce an inferior fondant.
Is there something I can use instead of cream of tartar? I don’t want to buy it if I only need a little bit. If I can make the fondant without marshmallows, I have a fun dessert I want to try and this seems like the best fondant recipe I’ve found!
Cream of tartar is a good thing to have, I use it for some cookies as well. You can try it without and see what happens π
Thank you Dani for a great recipe for easy fondant!!! Love using it on cakes and putting small shapes and designs on cookies!! Keep up with the good work!!!
Hi, i already try your fondant and it’s better than store bought.
But i had a little problem. My fondant is pliable but it’s kind a dry. Everytime i tried to rolling pin it, it starts to cracked. Did I do something wrong with the fondant?
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Cheers!
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Hello Dan, pls were you able to post the video .if yespls share the link .if no pls try bcos, I HV tried for 3 times but the fondants keeps melting once I touch it..please help
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Hi Dani I made this fondant today .&I’m really pleased with the end result.thanks so much.
How long does it stay fresh and do I keep it in the refrigerator or on the counter in the container?